King of Underworld

Chapter 43 Excursion of the Gods – (1)

Today too, the Underworld was dark.

I, Hades, paused my work and fell into deep thought.

Lately, whenever I sat on the throne and listened to the mortal world, I could sense that something had changed.

“Oh merciful Pluto… Today as well, I thank you for your grace.”

“Please bestow upon me the blessings of wealth. Oh, most affluent one…”

“My father, who has passed to the Underworld…”

For some reason, prayers directed towards me had been increasing recently.

It wasn’t just a slight increase; it felt as though the entire city of Thebes was praying to me.

But all I had done recently was descend near Thebes and fight in the mountains…

Could the fear of death have grown due to the aftermath, leading them to pray to me?

Elsewhere, a wealthy noble piled up a wooden altar and knelt devoutly.

On the altar, there were twenty dead cows, and as the noble lit the altar with a torch, he shouted.

“Almighty Lord Pluto! I offer you ten bulls and ten cows!”

Almighty? Not even Zeus can do such a thing, and judging by the servants behind you, it seems you overworked them just to offer sacrifices to me.

And the cows offered as sacrifices were either diseased or old.

Maybe because more people were starting to believe in me, more strange people were drawn in.

That man would not be well-regarded by the three judges of the Underworld, Minos and his brothers.

I was about to look elsewhere when a messenger ran up to me.

I had become familiar with this messenger’s face by now. He was likely one of the guards near Minos’ court…

“Lord Hades! Again, someone has appeared who hasn’t lost their memory in the waters of Lethe!”

“Again…?”

“They’re causing a ruckus, claiming they were wronged, in front of the judges…”

Recently, more and more souls filled with great resentment had been showing up.

However, it was impossible to meet with every one of them, so I thought of summoning Lady Lethe…

“But it seems that person is the grandson of Cadmus, the hero who founded Thebes.”

“Cadmus’ grandson? Bring him to me, let’s see him.”

Thebes was a place where my worship was widespread.

And it was where the great hero Cadmus, who had practically saved the world from Typhon, was born.

Cadmus had lived such a glorious life that he reached the Elysium, but…

I was curious as to what happened to his grandson that he retained his memory.

After waiting a short while, the doors to the audience chamber opened, and the soul of a tall young man entered.

However, as soon as he saw me, he immediately prostrated himself, and what he said was quite a spectacle.

“So, you are the grandson of Cadmus…”

“Oh merciful Lord Pluto! I am a human named Actaeon! Please, clear my injustice!”

I’ve seen many people dragged to the Underworld who called out to Pluto, the god of wealth…

But why am I being called a merciful god?

“I am not a god of mercy. So, what grudge do you hold to behave this way?”

“I was killed because I saw the naked body of the goddess Artemis!”

What? What are you talking about?

As I was left speechless, Actaeon began to wail and shout.

“I never approached with impure intentions! I never intended to spy on the beautiful goddess’s body!”

“…Calm down for now.”

* * *

After some time, Actaeon regained his composure.

He began to slowly recount what had happened to him in a somber tone.

“Since I was young, I was taught by the centaur sage, Cheiron…”

A centaur with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse.

They were usually a wild and barbaric race, but Cheiron was different from the other centaurs.

Cheiron was born when Cronus transformed into a horse and violated his niece.

He was a sage with a gentle and wise nature, skilled in various arts such as martial arts, music, and literature.

As his fame grew, it became natural for humans who wished to become heroes to study under Cheiron.

Thus, Actaeon had also received teachings from Cheiron, who earned the title of “Teacher of Heroes.”

“Thanks to Cheiron’s teachings, I gained some fame as an adventurer.”

“So, you were a disciple of Cheiron.”

“The day I died… After completing a difficult adventure, I went to hunt in the forest of Cithaeron. But there…”

“Artemis was there?”

“Yes… Goddess Artemis and the nymphs were bathing…”

When he made eye contact with Artemis, she became furious and cursed him.

Actaeon’s body was transformed into that of a stag, and in the end, he was hunted down by his own hounds.

“I am truly wronged. I knew that Goddess Artemis had sworn to remain a virgin, but…”

Artemis was so enraged because of the shame of showing her naked body to a mere human,

And… the situation was threatening to her chastity.

The virginity that Artemis had sworn upon the River Styx was put in jeopardy by Actaeon seeing her naked body.

To prevent him from spreading rumors, she killed him…

“I understand your grievance. I will tell Minos to consider your unfortunate circumstances in his judgment.”

“Thank you… I am truly grateful. Glory to the merciful Lord Pluto…”

I could only think that he was truly unlucky.

Could this be the effect of the curse that Ares placed upon the descendants of Cadmus?

As Actaeon lowered his head and wept, his situation seemed so pitiable that I decided to make his life in the Underworld a bit more comfortable.

* * *

“…So that’s what happened.”

“Goddess Artemis is really merciless, isn’t she?”

“…It’s pitiful.”

The goddess Styx, who was leaning against my throne at an angle, shook her head.

The goddess Lethe, who was sitting on the floor and looking up at me, lowered her eyes slightly.

“But why are you goddesses here?”

“We need some time to rest too, you know. We’ve been working so hard.”

“I’m not the god Thanatos…”

As I thought of a certain god who might be crying somewhere, I decided to let it go for now.

But you’re sitting too close, and I keep feeling a soft sensation…

Both of them were looking at me with expectant eyes, so I forced myself to look away and changed the subject.

“But Actaeon called me the god of mercy. Could it be that the mortals have misunderstood my divinity…?”

“Well, there’s a rumor going around in Thebes right now.”

Come to think of it, the goddess Lethe would often observe mortals in the world above, lost in thought.

Sometimes, she would bestow the blessing of forgetfulness and watch the humans’ reactions. She was sensitive to rumors from the world above.

“The rumor says that the merciful lord of the Underworld manifested to save a devotee in danger.”

“But don’t other gods also help their followers from time to time?”

It’s quite common for gods to help their followers or turn them into constellations.

That’s also why humans call out the name of the god they believe in when they are in danger.

“Still, death is something humans fear and dread. It’s something they can’t avoid.”

“Humans don’t even like to mention the word Underworld…”

Could it be because I acted in a way that contradicted the image of me that mortals held?

Well, there are still many who seek Hades rather than Pluto…

“But I think the god of mercy title would suit Prometheus or Hestia better.”

Prometheus, who delivered fire for the sake of pitiable humans.

Hestia, who is gentle and kind, protecting the hearth and home.

For me to be called the god of mercy, over these two…

As I fell into thought for a moment, the goddess Styx clung to me with a gentle smile.

No, but goddess Lethe, you too…

“Hehe… Hades, your arms are really strong.”

“Then, could it be the same here…?”

The number of souls that entered the Underworld today… If I count the number of goddesses Zeus and Poseidon violated, one, two, three…

While I was frozen in place, unable to move at all, a bewitching whisper reached my ears.

The soft hair of the goddess Styx touched my shoulder.

“Hades, how about we go out to the mortal world to clear our heads? You’ve been working too hard lately.”

“I like that too. Since the Gigantes won’t invade for a while, why don’t we take a break and go out?”

“But I have to stay in the Underworld…”

As I struggled to find an excuse while avoiding the expectant gaze of the two goddesses,

I noticed the silver-haired goddess looking up at me, murmuring softly.

“I’ve been having a hard time too… Is it not possible? Ugh…”

“Huff…!”

Her clear blue pupils, her blushing cheeks and ears, as if she was embarrassed even herself.

Though the heart of a god transcends that of humans, at this moment, I was not a god but a man.

“I-It is possible… Let’s go out for a bit.”

…!

Since I had things to do in the mortal world anyway, I might as well go with them.

The Underworld’s system was well-maintained enough that the two goddesses could take a break from work,

And most importantly, escaping from this awkward situation was what mattered.

“I was just about to patrol near Mount Etna, where Typhon’s body is buried. Would you like to come with me?”

Hearing

my words, the goddesses’ faces brightened.

“Really? The goddess of oaths heard it, so you can’t break your promise!”

“Hehe… We did it, Styx!”

Oh no… I had been tricked by the goddesses.

As expected of the cunning gods of the Underworld, they had persuaded me with words and, well, with their bodies.

But still…

“Hehe… I’ll go change my clothes. Wait just a moment, Hades!”

“Ah. Lethe, I’ll go with you!”

This kind of peace wasn’t so bad.